Utaka: Ibrahim Said was the best defender I played against

Newly signed Ismaily striker John Utaka spoke about past and present Egyptian Premier League players and his footballing role model with television anchor Ahmed Shobeir.

The Nigerian striker played for the Arab Contractors in 1998, before playing for the Daraweesh between 1999 and 2001. In June, KingFutexclusively revealed Utaka’s return to the Egyptian Premier League.

Utaka stated that he regularly watches Mohamed Salah’s matches with AS Roma: “He is a great player. I watch Salah regularly since I have friends and former teammates who currently play there.”

Speaking of the Egyptian Premier League, Utaka was quick to name the player he sees special. “Currently, I think that Al Ahly striker Amr Gamal is a special player. He posses great skills and is capable of many things,” he said.

Utaka then shifted his talk to his earlier stint in the Egyptian Premier League, labeling Ibrahim Said as one of the best defenders he has played against.

“There were great defenders in the league at the time, but in my opinion Ibrahim Said was the best,” he recalled, and continued, “He was strong and quick, and I enjoyed competing with him in my matches against Al Ahly.”

“My role model has to be Nwankwo Kanu. I always tried to imitate his playing style. When I saw him and played alongside him for the first time in the dressing, I was speechless,” he explained.